County approves MOUs with Mesilla and NMSU to boost fire and EMS coverage in south valley

The Board approved two memoranda of understanding on Tuesday to shore up fire and EMS coverage in the southern part of the county.

Dona Ana Fire Rescue asked the commission to fund a Mesilla MOU for $600,000 to provide at least 48 hours of coverage from County Station 13 each week and to locate Mesilla apparatus at that station. Fire Chief Sean Hay said the county has 19 stations but only eight currently staffed with career personnel; the Mesilla agreement is intended to improve response metrics and help address potential ISO inspection concerns.

Mesilla officials told commissioners the town is already transporting county patients and that future ambulance billing revenue would be used to offset some of the MOU costs as billing capability ramps up. Chief Greg Whitehead of Mesilla said the arrangement expands a long-standing mutual/automatic aid relationship and provides staff and apparatus parked at Station 13 to improve response times in the South Valley.

The board also approved a $400,000 agreement with New Mexico State University. NMSU’s interim chief said the university operates a staffed fire engine and ambulance program and will provide 24/7 coverage at Station 17 and a total of 84 hours weekly of EMS availability (including 48 hours from Station 15/Los Alturas). NMSU said it will use the funding to hire contingent firefighters/lieutenants and expand ambulance availability; the parties described cross-staffing and local billing as mechanisms to offset costs.

Both measures were approved on roll call votes. Commissioners said they view the agreements as short-term investments that expand regional interoperability while the county pursues longer-term staffing and station plans.

Outcome: MOUs approved; county staff to monitor service levels and the potential for billing offsets to reduce net local cost.